Everything Changes
by sdbubbles
Summary: Everything changes when you remember how to trust, but it's the remembering how to part that she needs help with. Ducky/Jenny friendship.


**A/N: I wrote this because there aren't a lot of Ducky and Jenny stories out there, and I think that Jenny needed this in "Brothers In Arms" because I thought she was losing it slightly. Maybe it's me being a muppet but some of the calls she made in the La Grenioulle episodes were less than wise, and more dangerous than anything else.**

**Sarah x**

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><p>Ducky was in Jenny's office as he tried to make her see some sense. She had started to go off the rails recently, all because of one single arms dealer. He had just effectively told her that her judgement was clouded, and all she had done was smirk at him. He knew it was probably the alcohol talking, but he could easily see that she was not completely right in the head at the moment. Something was eating away at her mind, colouring everything she thought about the world.<p>

He gave her a searching look and she said, "Something wrong?" with that same bitter, masking smirk. It was the same smile she had used to hide her feelings for as long as he had known her, and probably long before they'd met.

"Do you trust _anyone_, Jennifer?" he asked her gently. She had distanced herself from Gibbs, who she had trusted more than anyone in the world. She had moved away from Ziva, which was a major change in her personality when he considered the almost family like relationship the two had shared. She was closer to Tony but still did not tell him everything she was thinking. She had not spoken to Ducky in a long time. This whole affair had stripped her of her ability to trust.

"I trust myself. That's all I need," she replied harshly as a concerned look washed over the doctor's face. He was concerned about whether or not she _could_ safely trust herself. He had a nagging feeling that she could not be trusted to make rational decisions right now.

"You see," he smiled sadly. "I don't think you do trust yourself, Jenny," he explained, slipping into the name she preferred so that she felt more at ease. "You make a move and then you question it. You say something and I can tell that you're asking yourself why you opened your mouth. You make a judgement and then doubt it. You don't trust yourself. Not really," he concluded.

"Does it really matter, Ducky?" she sighed. To her, all that mattered was that La Grenioulle was caught, one way or another. Trust, relationships…it was irrelevant right now. She would have time for all that once this was finally over.

"Yes, it does matter," he told her sternly. "You shouted at Abby and Timothy because they couldn't know that that phone would cause a power surge. You yelled at Ziva and Timothy for doing the only thing they could once Charles Harrow started running. You need to trust them."

She merely listened as he told her all she already knew but would not put into action. He took her by the hand and dragged her from the office and onto the catwalk and allowed her to stare down at the only agents left in the building. "They," he said sharply, "are doing their utmost to catch La Grenioulle. Because they trust that you have a good reason for wanting him so badly. Is it so much to ask for you to trust us a little in return?"

"No," she whispered hoarsely before making her way back to her office with Ducky right behind her. He was right, of course. They were blindly following her because they trusted that she had a valid rationalisation for her desperation to catch the man. And she could not do that without putting a little confidence in them.

"Now," continued Ducky. He was not letting her off with this any longer. She was only making things even more difficult for herself. "If you do not trust your own judgement, Jennifer, then you will make a mistake that will cost you dearly," he told her firmly. "So, stop doubting yourself and do what needs to be done. And for goodness sake, woman, let this go a bit."

She stared at him blankly for a few moments, taking in everything he had just said to her. He was so correct about her that it was frightening. But then he was a trained psychologist so it shouldn't have surprised her. Finally, she opened her mouth to speak, "Thank you. I needed that."

"You're most welcome, Jennifer," he smiled slightly. He gestured for her to come over into his arms and, to his surprise, she did so. She was taller than him with her heels on and his head rested on her shoulder. He put her at arm's length and gave her a small smile. "I have to get back to work. Do not forget what I've told you," he instructed her as he left the room.

Everything was in a better perspective now. She was calmer with the knowledge that Gibbs' team was completely committed to this case and that they were perfectly capable of finding him, whether it was this time or the next time or the time after. And most of all, she could make safe judgements and trust herself. And the first thing she knew she needed to do was to pour that bourbon away. That was not a great help to her judgement, and she was better off without the stuff.

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><p><strong>Hope it was alright!<strong>

**Please review!**

**Sarah x**


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